How do you stay motivated? 14

[Leftwow]

As I approach my PE test I find myself with books and time in front of me, yet I can't get motivated. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[Okiryu]

Look yourself in 30+ years and imagine all the nice things you can get as a good engineer. Perhaps study is not fun for you but as engineers we should be get licensed in order to improve ourselves. Just remember, "once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed." By Charles Schulz... I like that phrase...

 

[Belgiancadengineer]

I can't possibly agree with any of this, if you have to force yourself to do something and it's not fun, then there's something wrong with it. I think Deming said "People deserve joy in work." well they also deserve joy in learning. If all teachers can be arsed to do is give you meaningless mathematical exercises, well, doesn't sound fun at all right?

 

[MacGruber22]

if you have to force yourself to do something and it's not fun, then there's something wrong with it

That is some fairly poor logic. You must not be married, or have a job, or not have experienced a [insert any challenging life event]. So much to life is recognizing and following the right thing to do, regardless of our level of immediate enjoyment.

It should be about the long game. The hard work will pay off in the future with sustained enjoyment. Future Leftwow will thank young Leftwow for this.





"It is imperative Cunth doesn't get his hands on those codes."

 

[Belgiancadengineer]

The 'right thing' keeps the status-quo in existence. You think marriage is the right thing? It's an ancient concept that ignores basic human reproductive desires. I'm getting off-track here obviously, but just saying.
Same is true for bored ass teachers giving students boring af math puzzles.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

if you have to force yourself to do something and it's not fun, then there's something wrong with it.

Pfft. It's no fun to get out of bed at the same early time every morning to go to my job... but I do it because I want to KEEP my job. And I thoroughly enjoy the work I do.

Making the blanket statement "If something isn't fun, you shouldn't do it" is an over-simplification and doesn't hold water for anyone beyond the age of, say, 15.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[JNieman]

Seeing someone write "boring af math puzzles" makes me think you aren't terribly far off with the mention of 15 years, MacGyver2000.

 

[IRstuff]

As adults, we have to accept the reality that life, at least for us working stiffs, is a mix of good and bad. The bad parts makes us appreciate the good parts all the more.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529

 

[JohnRBaker]

There was a period of time during my early career when I worked for a person whom many considered a bit of a tyrant. He came from a somewhat poor background (his mother was full-blooded Native American) and prior to attending engineering school (which he did on the GI Bill) he had been a merchant seaman and yes, he swore like a sailor. He also tended to play favorites, but in this case, that worked to my advantage. You see, there was a clique in our office. There were five engineers, including myself, who had over the years all graduated from the same engineering school as had the Director of Engineering (the person whom I'm commenting about).

Now as for the good and bad aspects of working, in my situation, being a 'member' of the clique it meant that I often did get better treatment like being given the opportunity for specialized training in new technologies (like being part of the first group sent to learn the CAD/CAM software), attending trade shows, being invited for dinner when a big customer was in town, etc. And of course, part of his reputation was that he tended to ignore those who were not part of the clique. Also he tended to question peoples abilities, often in front of their peers, sometimes along with an appropriate expletive or two. Now don't get me wrong, I had been on the receiving end of these situations, just that I was willing to let it pass since I knew that eventually I would get some sort of 'perk' to make-up for it. But it also meant that we (clique members) often got what other people considered as really rotten assignments, like getting a phone call early on a Saturday morning telling you to get to the airport as there was a ticket waiting for a flight to some industrial paradise like Cleveland, OH or Oakland, CA or Kingston, ONT where some customer was complaining about some piece of equipment that we sold them and they had been promised that someone would be there to 'fix' the problem ASAP. Now it turned out that these 'assignments' were not punishment but rather because our boss trusted up to get the job done. He just assumed that we could do the job and he trusted us to do it no matter what. Of course, we eventually got rewarded, either by getting one of those 'perks' I previously mentioned or even an extra bit when the annual merit raises were handed out or even a promotion when something opened-up.

So I guess the lesson is that there is always good and bad in any job, and even when it may look like the bad is the result of some unfair or unjust situation, it really does depend on where and how you fit in and what its real impact is on you.

Now as for a postscript, the boss that I was taking about was eventually 'fired', but while the official story was that (and it was something that was hard to dispute) he had not treated his subordinates with respect and fairness, the real back-story was that he had had a long-term running feud with upper executives and due to some really odd circumstances, he was very well liked by our UK-based owners and the local executives were afraid that he might blow the whistle on them for some poor decision that they had made that cost the company a lot of money unnecessarily but which had not yet become apparent to those UK-based owners. When I got the opportunity to make a career change a few months later, it was an easier decision to make since I had actually liked my old boss, flaws and all, and felt that he was screwed out of his job in the end, views which I expressed when I had my exit interview.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Terratek]

You must have chosen the wrong path in life if you don't want to study for a test? Please don't blow so hard.

The motivation factor is the specific reason I went the prep course route to study for my PE. I did great in school, got a BS and an ME,
honor society, etc., but that doesn't mean I wanted to study for another test! Nor does it mean I chose the wrong career! Sheez. If it's too late to sign up for a prep class, just force yourself to focus in two hour blocks. If you are like me, you will probably find that some things are easier to stay focused on/motivated with than others.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

I taught a PE review course a few years ago an advised students to take the test whether prepared or not. Delaying until "fully prepared" and "I'll be more ready next time" are excuses... you may never take the exam. There are no consequences for failing, and you may pass. If you do not pass, at least you have proof that additional study is mandatory.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

http://www.VacuumTubeEra.net

 

[Belgiancadengineer]

Making the blanket statement "If something isn't fun, you shouldn't do it" is an over-simplification and doesn't hold water for anyone beyond the age of, say, 15.

I think you'd be surprised how children and teenagers are honest and haven't yet learned to rationalize everything, rationalizing is a coping mechanism we all develop to cope in this rotten world. But that doesn't make it right. I'd trust a teenager more than a middle manager when it comes to telling me what's what. Teenagers truly realize that "if something pretty much sucks... it sucks." I'm not immune to rationalizing and I'll do what I need to keep my job. But I won't let that fool me for a second I'm simply using an irrational coping mechanism.

 

[JNieman]

Yes, I suppose if your goal is to drive after the purely irrational, you've got a good strategy.

 

[Belgiancadengineer]

I stopped caring a long time ago, I think that's clear. I don't believe in Hollywood, we either get lucky or we don't. You get lucky enough times you feel good about yourself and what you do, and you're happy. You get unlucky enough times and you get bitter and resentful. We're all, only human.

 

[fattdad]

I'm still trying to figure out how the OP made it through college?

f-d

ípapß gordo ainÆt no madre flaca!

 

[GregLocock]

Speak for yourself. I wear my underpants outside my tights.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[Leftwow]

College was easy for me. Show up to class, study for test, make A. Difference is, I had someone showing me how to do things. Once you are out you don't have the same resources, boss don't teach shit, upper management clips wings... I'm just a little intimidated by it.

 

[JNieman]

"Sink or swim" but unfortunately, some places do seem to go out of their way to make the waters extra-choppy. I understand and sympathize. I have been there. Failed to rise enough to the challenge in my very first 'professional' job in my career path, and it still haunts me - but I drew a lot of lessons from it that I still apply today.

Don't make the mistake of not asking for help from your superiors or experienced colleagues, though. Don't be afraid to let them know -early- if you're expecting to not meet an expectation, so a Plan B can be put into place or to get you the help needed. Don't make the mistake of thinking anyone out there is going to hand you the answers. Now you've got to do the legwork to find your own.

 

[IRstuff]

I don't think that your experience is necessarily the norm; all the mentors I've had were more than willing to share their knowledge, and I likewise share my knowledge with those that I mentor. Furthermore, the fact that this site exists and is as successful as it is demonstrates that engineers helping engineers is not an unusual event.

You might have particularly noob managers and mentors, in the sense that they don't seem to know what their job entails. Our company has typically operated under the "truck" scenario, i.e., if a particular engineer got hit by a truck, would the knowledge they had still be available? If not, then something is not being done right. The converse is that you can lead a horse to knowledge, but it's up to them to drink it in.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529

 

[MacGruber22]

boss don't teach shit, upper management clips wings... I'm just a little intimidated by it.

Even though your decorum is a bit rough, I can understand. It sounds like you need to build a bank of confidence for yourself. Maybe you can try to change your perspective on taking the test for the first time. It isn't the end of the world if you don't pass the first time. If you pass, awesome. If you don't, you can take note of what went wrong; if you think it has to do with a lack of solid experience (at large, good experience requires good mentoring), consider making a move where mentoring is a higher priority. It doesn't have to be a race, particularly if your firm has principals who do all of the sealing.



"It is imperative Cunth doesn't get his hands on those codes."

 

[FoxSE14]

My advice is to do as many of the following as possible before your test:
1.) Don't be so hard on yourself. I don't care your age/years of experience, be proud of the work and schooling you've been through to get to this point.
2.) Spend time with friends.
3.) Get outside in the fresh air.
4.) Exercise.
5.) Take a vacation.
6.) Exercise again because it's great for your brain.
7.) Commit to a study schedule.
8.) Study

Many engineers (myself included) too often forget that spending time AWAY from work and studying is a great rejuvenator. Now...you'll still need to study, but how about taking a mental chill for yourself and clear your head a bit before the big push? If anything, it might bring some clarity to your future career path.

A few years ago I was working for a large, national consulting firm...the principal structural engineer admitted to me in private conversation that he did not pass his SE test on the first attempt...life is a journey, and none of us are perfect.